Friday, September 30, 2011

Awlaki

I welcome the end of Anwar al-Awlaki

The killing of al-awlaki was necessary and legal. This is so because of the state of effective war between Al Qa'ida and the United States, the authority of the President as commander in chief to defend the US (following chapter 7 rights to self defense), alongside the lack of a judicial capacity in Yemen to deal with Al Qa'ida agents in alternative ways. Although targeted killing is clearly unpleasant and is far outside the usual codes of conduct for international affairs, in this case, with Awlaki's leadership and propagandist position posing a clear, growing threat to US national security (I will expand on this), today's action was necessary and as outlined above, also legal.